REVIEW: Quinnie @ The Foundry

WRITTEN BY: Susanna Coyle

PHOTOS BY: Susanna Coyle

Quinnie, an indie rock artist from New Jersey, made her Philadelphia stop for The Paper Doll Tour on Friday, October 3rd. The five-piece band created a dreamy and mystifying ambience lifted by Quinnie’s lilting and melodic vocals. Opening the night’s show was Olivia Austin, known professionally as Operelly. She was accompanied by Hudson Pollock on electric guitar. Her music has previously been characterized as “fancifully freakish.” It certainly lives up to that description with her vocals that alternate from tight and clipped to long and dreamy. The instrumentals follow a similar pattern, where at times it feels like the supporting sound is painting small dots around the lyrics, and other times it acts as a smooth foundation to them. Like Quinnie, Operelly sings in a high vocal pitch and creates a mysterious ambiance that draws all eyes to her.

Hudson later appeared on stage with Quinnie as part of her band.

“A new shade of blue,” the first song on Quinnie’s latest album, Paper Doll, doubled as the first song of her set. It transformed the venue into a close and intimate space. Quinnie’s lyrics are introspective and emotional, with religious symbolism strung throughout, which gives way to deep thought about spirituality and existentialism. In the song “Baja Bird,” she sings, “’Cause God is a girl with a seashell in her palm/You can hear something mighty in something so small.” Her vocal pitch dances among the clouds, making her discography a blend of heavenly, unorthodox, and authentic. The emotion in Quinnie’s music describes more than just fleeting feelings; it homes in on the profound states of being we as humans encounter on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level.

Her lyrical complexity took center stage largely because of her visual simplicity. The usual stage lights shone on Quinnie wearing a plain light blue top, a long skirt, and hiking boots. After each song break, Quinnie thanked her audience, and they cheered in awe.

“This is only our 4th show, but I’m excited for the rest,” said Quinnie. Her tour is set to run through October, ending on November 14th.